


Here With You

by DiamondDustOhSnap



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Bite-size cheese I guess, Episode Ignis, Fluff, Gladnis, It's total cheese, M/M, Verse 2 Ending, and it's short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-16 20:23:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13061481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamondDustOhSnap/pseuds/DiamondDustOhSnap
Summary: Ignis and Gladio have a candid conversation after Ignis recovers from the ring. Fluff happens.





	Here With You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [UnsteadyGenius](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnsteadyGenius/gifts).



> I never thought I'd write Gladnis, but one of my good fandom friends loves it—so I decided to give it a try! It's just a wee bit of fluff, a drop in the overwhelming amount of fics for this pairing, but what can I say, I enjoyed writing this :D
> 
> Spoilers for Episode Ignis!

Ignis drifted in and out of sleep. The events played through his head, but he couldn’t make sense of them at first. 

Noctis, lying on the ground. Ravus, crying on his knees. Then Gladio—no, Ardyn.

Ardyn, taking him away to Zegnautus Keep. The ring, his sight. It was all dark, yet he could feel where Ardyn was, could feel the power of the ring like a driving force. 

And then, relief. It was over, at least for the time being. And Noctis—

Ignis jolted awake. His heart sank as his thoughts aligned themselves fully, and he realized he would not be seeing Noctis for years. At least there was hope, he told himself, and even though the world was plunging into darkness, his sight wasn’t. 

Ignis blinked, his vision adjusting slowly to the light of the hotel room. He tried to lift his head, but was still weak from wearing the ring. Defeated, he allowed himself to sink back into the pillow and blew a strand of hair away from his eye. His vanity got the better of him as he chastised how boyish he must look with his hair flat across his forehead—a look he left behind in high school. 

The door opened and Ignis could immediately tell it was Gladio. The heaviness of the footsteps, the measured pace—he knew it so well. 

“How is everything out there?” Ignis asked. 

“You’re worried about that? Funny, I came to ask how you were doing, hero.”

“You’re still angry.”

“You could have gotten yourself killed.” 

“I had to protect—”

“Noct. Yeah, I know.” 

Gladio sat down on the edge of the bed, unwilling to look at Ignis. 

“You may be his shield, Gladio, but I am just as responsible as you are. If not in duty, then at the very least in my heart.”

“You practice that line for long?”

Ignis laughed. “All day.” 

He thought he saw Gladio crack a small smile before his lips formed back into a tight line. 

“You know, Iggy, you have a responsibility to Prompto and I too.” 

“Gladio, I know—”

“Let me finish. I don’t always know how to handle Prompto, but you do. With Noct gone, he needs you more than ever. Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy, but I’m not good at saying the right things to him when he’s upset. He needs someone to talk to.”

“I will be there for him, without a doubt.”

“But you almost weren’t.” 

Ignis considered his next words, unsure of exactly how to broach this subject, one that was a long time coming. 

“And you?” he asked. “What’s my responsibility to you, Gladio?”

Gladio stayed silent a while until, without a word, his hand found Ignis’s. Ignis noted how it was warm and strong, but trembling. Gladio didn’t dare look at him. 

“Gladio, you can talk to me.” 

The trembling only seemed to increase, traveling up Gladio’s arm and into his chest until he took an involuntary breath. It came back out long and shaky, barely controlled. Maybe it was his vision still adjusting, but Ignis was certain he saw a tear role down Gladio’s cheek. 

“Gladio, please.” His voice was more urgent now, but Gladio seemed determined to keep this under control. Except Ignis knew better. 

“Fine, I’ll go first,” he said. “I was reckless, and for that I am sorry. But I would do it all over again if I had to, for Noct. You would too. However, know that if I had not made it, the greatest regret I would have had was not being completely honest with you.”

Ignis squeezed Gladio’s hand with what little strength he could muster. Another tear came down Gladio’s cheek. 

“I need you, Gladio. I have for a long time—and now, more than ever.” 

“Good,” Gladio said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Cause I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Good. Neither am I.” 

Gladio let go of Ignis’s hand, but only so he could shift on the bed, lying down and facing Ignis. He rested his head on the pillow, and the two touched their foreheads together. Gladio took Ignis’s hand again, and this time Ignis interlaced their fingers. 

It was a small gesture, but a new one. Something had certainly changed. Before Altissia, it felt like they had all the time in the world to come to this. But now that death had been so close, Ignis felt a sense of warmth building fast. Yes, it had always been there, buried beneath duty and fear and a resistance to change. 

Now he knew better, though. He knew that they may not have all the time in the world. And it was that thought driving him as he shifted his lips toward Gladio’s, meeting them softly and slowly for the first time.

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is super short, but if you liked it, let me know! Who knows, I may even dabble in it some more in the future.


End file.
